Precision dispenser for liquids, comprising a device for remote control and monitoring

ABSTRACT

There is described a precision dispenser for liquids, in particular medications, which allows the remote control of all operations associated with dispensing the medication to the patient so as to avoid abuses.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/365,696 filed Jul. 22, 2016 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of precision dispensers for liquids, in particular liquid pharmaceutical compositions.

BACKGROUND

As is known, certain pharmaceutical compositions in liquid form are administered through dispensers that dispense the amount required as indicated by the general practitioner.

The problems associated with dispensing precision have already been studied since long and overcome by means of various devices such as for example the automatic liquid dispenser patented by the same Applicant (see EP 1 165 010).

However, when the pharmaceutical compositions, due to their nature, may cause wrongful behavior by the user or third parties (e.g. in case of methadone or other medicaments for treating drug addiction), absolute control not only on the amount but on the general conditions of delivery become essential.

Currently, devices for dispensing liquids, and more specifically medicaments in liquid form requiring increased and monitored dispensing precisions, are for the most part apparatuses monitored locally by a PC which is given the bureaucratic task of recording the data according to the local laws and of controlling the system by taking the information from its memory and dispensing the amount prescribed.

It is therefore evident the importance of an apparatus which not only allows to monitor and dispense the liquid with extreme precision, but also prevents improper use of the medicament administered without the mandatory presence of operators at the medicament distribution site, which would obviously be unfeasible for practical reasons.

SUMMARY

It is describe a precision dispenser for liquids, in particular medicament, that allows the remote control of all the operations associated with dispensing the medicament to the patient so as to avoid abuses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying FIG. 1 shows schematically a device according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention allows to overcome the aforesaid problems by means of a precision dispenser for liquids, comprising means capable of interfacing with a remote data server which provides the information required to manage the controlled dispensing of the medicament through a preliminary identification of the user, verifying that the user does not attempt to take more than his/her prescribed dose by going to other dispensing centers in a short time.

On the other hand, the system also allows the patient to access the dose of medicament required at any center equipped with a device according to the invention, with significant advantages not only for the patient but also for the whole national care service, since it would no longer be necessary to deliver the medicament at patient's home.

The device according to the invention also allows to have all the users' data at the dispensing centers in a particular country to be arranged in a centralized manner and under secure computer technology, this allowing to use this information for assessments and statistical reports on the user population, understanding better the regional needs and distribution thereof, and managing samples of population in order to improve and/or expand the care service.

In particular, in accordance with the present invention, the above said precision dispenser comprises:

-   -   contact or contactless (c-less) card/tag/chip readers;     -   any security keyboards for the patient to introduce his/her PIN;     -   recognition readers;     -   any GPS position detection systems;     -   an SBC (Single Board Computer) unit capable of interfacing the         above devices and of connecting to the central management system         in wired, wireless (Wi-Fi) mode or through the telephone         network.

As seen in the accompanying FIGURE, the device according to the invention comprises a pharmacological substance dispenser 1 of known type, equipped with a hydraulic and electronic control system for performing its function.

Said function is controlled by an external processor 9 which contains the using profiles of all patients, the amounts of medication to be administered, their therapeutic protocol, etc.

Dispenser 1 is then interfaced with a device 2 (SBC) capable of operating autonomously and equipped with RAM and EEPROM memory, and also with an SSD disc, standard interfaces capable of accommodating expansions of various nature, including for example Wi-Fi.

Dispenser 1 is equipped with a card reader 5, possibly a secure keyboard 6, a recognition reader 7 and a monitor 10 (possibly touch-screen).

The card reader 5 is a device of known type capable of reading (contact or contactless) cards or tags, which allow the registration of the users, and therefore their first-level identification.

The secure keyboard 6 allows a PIN (Personal Identification Number) to be entered, thus allowing the second-level identification of the user if required.

The recognition reader 7 may be, for example, a fingerprint reader or a facial recognition reader (or other similar device), and allows the second- or third-level identification (depending on whether or not the secure keyboard is used).

The reader allows to read the fingerprint (or the face and/or iris, respectively) of the user when acquiring the identity of the user, while it is used as a validation instrument when checking his/her identity by comparing it with the data recorded by the system.

The touchscreen monitor 10 (Man Machine Interface) allows the dialogue between the user of the device and the machine, and displays the output and receives the inputs of the APPs running on the SBC (2) for acquiring the identity data and checking them after the check with the network, as explained hereinbelow.

Card reader 5, secure keyboard 6 and recognition reader all interface with device 2 (SBC).

Moreover, if desired, dispenser 1 may be interfaced with a tablet 3 (integrated therein or connected externally) which allows to analyze data and remotely monitor the device, especially by healthcare personnel.

If required, dispenser 1 may also be interfaced with a GPS position detector which allows the position of the dispensing center (e.g. if it is mobile) to be detected in real time by means of the SBC device above.

All the above-described devices allow the unambiguous and secure identification of the patient in order to ensure the correct dispensing of the medication according to the treatment plan established for him/her by the healthcare personnel.

Said identification occurs for example when the user requests the medication to be dispensed by providing a contactless card and with the acquisition of the fingerprint or the facial verification.

Suitable and known multimedia communication modes (e.g. connection to the network, all types of possible wired connections or those supported by the telephone or satellite network) are used to transfer this information to a WEB application, normally a CLOUD-based application, which records and stores the information in real time. These data, together with the treatment information related to the medication dispensing event, are read in the other direction through queries to the Database Server in order to ensure there are no attempts to make double dispensing requests, performed for example in a different medication dispensing center within a given period of time.

As noted in FIG. 1, the system is obviously mediated by a DSL interface (ADSL, XDSL or analogue connections), which allows the connection to the CLOUD and accordingly the two-way log in between all devices installed in the medication dispensing centers and the Web Server Application installed on the Cloud.

As indicated above, the system is capable of operating autonomously through the SBC, but a connection of dispenser 1 to a PC 9 may be provided, if required, thus taking advantage of an API control interface to control the dispensing activities and the local registrations, as well as the management of the activities of transferring the medications according to the local regulations and the reporting activities in compliance with the legal regulations of the country where the apparatus is installed, at the end of the daily session. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A precision dispenser for liquids, containing a medicament to be administered, comprising a plurality of communication means connected to the Internet network, selected from: contact or contactless (c-less) card/tag/chip readers; fingerprint or facial recognition readers; an SBC (Single Board Computer) unit capable of interfacing the above devices and of connecting to the central management system; any security keyboards for introducing the PIN of the patient; any GPS position detection systems.
 2. A device according to claim 1, comprising: a pharmacological substance dispenser of known type, equipped with a hydraulic and electronic control system for performing its function, interfaced with an SBC device capable of operating autonomously and equipped with RAM and EEPROM memory, and also with an SSD disc and standard interfaces capable of accommodating expansions of various nature, including Wi-Fi, for example; a magnetic card reader; a secure keyboard; a recognition reader; and a touchscreen.
 3. A device according to claim 2, wherein said recognition reader is a fingerprint reader or a facial recognition reader.
 4. A device according to claim 1 comprising a tablet integrated therein or connected externally.
 5. A device according to claim 2, wherein the dispenser is interfaced to a GPS position detector by means of the SBC device. 